Denver Mountain Parks

Constructed between 1912 and 1941, the Denver Mountain Parks are a rural park and parkway system consisting of 47 foothill and mountain parks interconnected by scenic drives. The City of Denver owns approximately 13,500 acres of mountain land located in the counties of: Clear Creek, Douglas, Grand and Jefferson.

The mountain park system was planned and designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., nationally recognized landscape architect; Saco Rienk DeBoer, Denver landscape architect; and Jules Jacques Benois Benedict and Burnham Hoyt, prominent Denver architects. The unique linkage of mountain parks and scenic drives preserved scenic and recreational mountain resources within easy reach of Denver residents, expanded the normal vision of urban parks and parkways, and set the stage for regional open space planning in Colorado. The development of the system reflects three national movements of the 20th century: the City Beautiful Movement, the National and State Park Movement, and the Civilian Conservation Corps Movement. (Cover documentation accepted by National Register in 1990.) Multiple Property Documentation Form (PDF, 3.1 MB).